Sewing-machine attachment for making dress-stiffening



(MqdeL) M. GARDNER & J. STONE; SEWING MAGHINE ATTACHMENT FOR'MAKINGDRESS STIFPENI'NG. v

Elm-413 .934. Patented Oct 29, 1889.

//////1| \fi IqIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIJ U ITED STATES PATENT OF IcE.

MARSHALL GARDNER AND JAMES STONE, OF AURORA, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNORS, BYMESNE ASSIGNMENTS, 'OF TWO-THIRDS TO ALICE M. BALL, OF SAME PLACE, ANDELIZABETH FLORSHEIM, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

SEWING-MACHINE ATTACHMENT FOR' MAKING DRESS-'STIFFENING.

' "SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Fatent No. 413,934, datedOctober 29, 1889.

Application filed July 8, 1887. Serial No .243,735- (Model) To all whomit may concern/.

Be it known that we, MARSHALL GARDNER and JAMES STONE, of Aurora, in thecounty of Kane and State of Illinois, have invented certain new anduseful Improvements in the Method of and Apparatus for MakingDressstiffening; and we do hereby declare that the following is a full,.clear, and exact description thereof, reference being had totheaccompanyin g drawings, and to the letters of reference marked thereon,which form a part of this specification.

This invention relates to an improved apparatus for making a certainform of stiffening for garments, which stifiening consists of twoparallel filaments or strips of stiffening material enfolded edge toedge within a covering of cloth or similar material, such coveringconsisting of a single strip of fabric folded about the twostiffening-strips and having its margins overlapped opposite the spacebe-' tween the strips, the whole being held together by arow ofstitching passed through the space between the stiffenin -strips andthrough the three folds of the incasing fabric.

One part of thecomplete apparatus for makingthe stiffening consists ofany ordinary or suitable sewing-machine. Another part embraces devicesfor folding and guiding the materials entering into the stiffening tothe sewing-machine needle, and another part embracesmeans for drawingthe material forward beneath the needle. The latter may be used in lienor in aid of the ordinary feeding devices of a sewing-machine.

Referring to the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective viewof the folding and guiding device as a whole, showing the materialsentering and emerging therefrom. Fig. 2 is a top view of the folding andguiding device. Fig. 3 is a longitudinal section through the channel orgroove of the guide shown in Figs. 1 and 2, said section being taken inplane of the line 3 3 of Fig. 2. Fig. 4 is a perspective view of aremovable block which occupies the entering end of the guide shown inFigs. 1, 2, and 3. Fig. 5 is a transverse section of the guide and thecontained block, taken in the line 5 5 of Fig. 3. Fig. 6

is a transverse section taken in the line 6 6 of Fig. 3. Fig.7 is atransversesection taken in the line 7 7 of Fig. 3. Fig. 8 shows theguide and folding device in combination with the presser-foot and needleof a sewing-machine and with the device for drawing the stiffeningforward, the view being in vertical section of the guide andthe-remaining parts.

in the line of the stiffening as it is passing. Fig. 9 is a fragment arytop view of the guide applied to the sewing-machine bed-plate, and alsoshowing two additional guide-blocks located one on each side of thepresser-foot. Fig. 10 is a perspective view of the acting parts of thefeeding device shown in Fig. 8. Fig. 11 represents the parts enteringinto the stiffening, with the inclosing fabric partly folded; and Fig.12 is a similar section of the stiffening, showing both margins of theinclosing fabric folded down upon the inclosed stiffeningstrips.

A represents a metal block having a longitudinal central channel Atherein of suitable width to receive the stiffening described,

lying fiatwise in the bottom of said channel;

This block or guide-piece rests in use upon the bed-plate of asewing-machine longitudi-; nally in the line in which the material. isto be fed to the needle and with its delivery end (1 adjacent to thepresser-foot of the sewing machine, as shown in Fig. 8. As the guidelies in this position on the sewing-machine,

the materials entering into the stiffening to be formed by the apparatusare fed into the The channel A in the guide A is therefore made of thefull width of the inclosing-strip at the extreme outer end of the saidguideblock and is narrowed as it proceeds inwardly to the point a inFigs. 1, 2, and 3, whence it proceeds at auniform width throughout theremainder of the length of the channel. lVithin the widened end of thechannel is freely fitted a removable block B. (Shown detached and inperspective in Fig. 4.) This block has its opposite side walls I) bconverged to fit rather closely but freely within the correspondingconverging portions of the walls of the channel A at the outer end ofthe block A; but the lower portions of said walls 1) b (which lowerportions are marked 1) in Fig. 4) are cut away to a depth equal to or alittle greater than the thickness of the fabric to be folded into theguide-block A, the upper margins of the cut-away portion beingpreferably inclined, as shown at b in Fig. 4.

The fabric F is fed beneath the block B and between the lower surface ofsaid block and the bottom of the channel A, and as the fabric proceedsits edges turn upwardly and occupy the spaces formed by the cutawayportions 1) of the side walls I) of the blockB, passing thence into theuniform portion of the channel A. In the removable and wedgeshaped blockB is cut a channel B in line with and of about the same width as thechannel A. is located a partition B dividing the channel B into twochannels at this point. Said channels are arranged side by side and areof equal width, and into them are fed side by side the two strips 3 s tobe covered by the fabric strip F. Commonly these strips .9 s will becomposed of thin narrow filaments of bamboo, and each strip will be madeduplex by placing one filament flatwise upon another. They areaccordingly thus shown in Fig. 1. The channel B of the removable block Bis separated from the adjacent portion of the channel A by a thin bottomplate 19 belonging to the block B, and the stiffening-strips s .9therefore do not rest upon the fabric at the point of their entrance.

The block B, as a special improvement, is held down upon the enteringfabric F by a yielding pressure, provided for in the particularconstruction here shown by springs b I), having slots at their freeends, through which pass screws 17'' into the body of the block A.

Within the block B is mounted a presser or tongue B which extends to orpreferably a little beyond the bottom of said block B and serves to bearthe stiffening-strips s s closely down upon the fabric F preparatory tothe overfolding of the latter upon said strips. This tongue 13 is inform a thin spring-plate attached at its base to a crosswire B, which isrotatable in the outer end of the block B and projects far enough atboth ends to enter slots at in the ends of the walls of block A. In oneprojecting end of the cross-wire B is inserted a wire B which extendsforwardly and has its free end bent inwardly, so that it may be insertedin a hole a in the side of the guide-block A. This At the outer end ofthe channel B" hook-formed wire at once retains the block B in placewithin the block A and serves to depress the forward and free end of thetongue 13 upon the stiffening-strips and fabric. To lift thespring-presser B the end of the wire B is withdrawn from the hole a andwhen the wire is thus withdrawn may be removed from the block A bydrawing the former backward.

At the point where the fabric and stiffening-strips come together at theend of the tongue B the margins of the fabric F stand vertical. Fartheron these edges are successively folded down upon the strips 5 s'bysuitable tongues or pressers arranged in ad- Vance of the tongue 13 asshown at A and A one for operating upon each margin of the fabric. Eachof these pressers is in form similar to B or composed of a long thinplate of spring-steel attached to a cross-wire as a means of connectingit with the block A. These cross-wires A A are thrust into thehorizontal holes in the block or body of the guide A near the top, andthe metal above the hole for each cross-wire in one side wall of theblock A is cut away to form a slot a, through which the presser-tonguemay pass in sliding the crosswire in or out of the block. Thecross-wires A A severally project from the guide-block for theattachment of the wires A and A formed like the wire B alreadydescribed, and having their free ends fitted to similarly enter holes a.in the sides of the block. These wires when occupyin g said holes serveto hold the pressers or tongues A A down with suit-able force upon thematerial beneath. The tongues are made long and inclined at a slightangle with the bottom of the channel A, so that they gradually fold theseveral margins of the'fabric F down upon the strips 8 s, A beingnarrower than the channel A, as seen at Figs. 2 and 6, so as to operateupon only one margin of the fabric, while the other margin passes it tobe subsequently engaged by the presser A. The folding actions of thevarious pressertongues and of the block B are shown in Figs. 6, 7, and8.

The guide A is arranged upon the sewingmachine table to bring the needleC of the sewing-machine in line with the space between the stiffeningfilaments s s, and the stitches pass through the two overlapping marginsof the fabric F, which rest upon the strips 3 s, and also through thebottom fold of said fabric, upon which the strips 8 8 rest. By thismeans the parts entering into the product are held together in place andthe covering is drawn more or less closely about the strips .9 3,according to the tension applied to the stitching.

Preferably and as a special improvement the presser-foot D of thesewing-machine is made of the same width as the channel A of the guideA, or a little narrower, and fixed guides D are placed on thesewing-machine bed on opposite sides of the presser-footto ICC form acontinuation of the channel of the guide A. These guides D' D' moreperfectly insure the placing of the stitches accurately in the middle ofthe stiffening and between,

the inclosed strips 3 s. Said guides D D may of course be made integralor continuous with the side bars of the guide A.

E is a device for drawing the stiffening forward through the guide andbeneath the needle. It consists of two vibrating side bars orframe-pieces E E, united by a cross-bar E together with a dog E pivotedabove the cross-bar in an inclined position, so as to bite thestiffening between said dog and cross-bar in one direction of motion onthe part of the vibrating bars E'and to' release itin the oppositemovement. The frame E is located beyond the needle and is mounted on arocking shaft E below the bed-plate of the sewing-machine, throughwhichbed-plate suitable slots are provided for the vibration of theframe-bars E. The shaft E may be that from which the ordinary feed G isactuated,

or it may be one specially provided and actuated for thispurpose.leaving the needle passes over the cross-bar E and beneath the dog Ewhich inclines away from the needle, so that on each rearward motion offrame E the stiflfening will be clutched and drawn along the length of astitch. The lower face of the dog may be serrated, as shown, to morecertainly bitev into and firmly holdthe stiffening.

. We claim as our invention 1. In an apparatus for making stiffening-ofthe character described, and in combination,

a block having a channel for guiding the fab ric, a block-within saidchannel having passages therein to guide the stiifening-filaments' 3. Asewing-machine attachment for the; purpose set forth, comprising a metalblock A, provided with a central guide-channel having converging sidewalls at its receiving end,a U-shaped block B, fitting the receiv ingend of said channel and having converging walls, the spaces between thewalls of the block B and guide-channel forming a convergingguide-passage for the fabric and provided with guides forthestiffening-filaments, and pressers located in the said guidechannelfor folding the fabric, substantially as described.

4. The combination, with the 'metal block A, provided with "aguide-channel having converging side walls at its receiving end, of ablock of U shape in cross-section fitting the The stifiening afterreceiving end of said channel and having converging walls,- the spacesbetween'the walls of'the blocksB an'd'guide-chan'nel forming aconverging guide-passage for the fabric, a partition in said block B,forming two guides for the stiffening filaments, a presser in said blockacting upon the said filaments, and pressers for folding the cloth 10-cated in the said guide-channel, substantially as described.

5. The combination, with the metal block A, provided with aguide-channel having converging side walls at its receiving end, of ablock B, having converging walls and fitting within the said channel,the spaces between the walls of the block and the walls of theguide-channel forming a converging guidepassage for the fabric, saidblock having a yielding connection with the block A, guides" for thestiffening-filaments, and pressers for folding the fabric, substantiallyas described.

6. In an apparatus for making dress-stiffenings of the characterdescribed, and in combination, a main block having apassagefor guidingthe fabric, a block within said passage, having channels therein forguidingthe stiffening-filaments side by side, said main block beingprovided with a guide passage having parallel side walls forming acontinuation of the said fabric guiding passage,

adapted to receive the fabric and stiifener's,

pressers within said fabric-guiding passage for folding the fabric uponthe stiffeners,

shafts passing through the block, each having a presser attachedthereto, said shafts 'being'also provided with arms, and the main blockbeing provided with recesses which are entered by said arms,'whereby'thepressers ICO are held "in operative position, substantially asdescribed.

7. The combination, with the stitch-forming mechanism of asewing-machine, guides for stiffening-filaments, and pressers for folding a fabric about said filaments, of a feed device for the stiffening,consisting of a vibrating frame having opposing clamp-jaws acting toengage and move forward the'stiffening when the frame is moving in onedirection, substantially as described.

8. The combination,with the stitch-forming 1 devices of a sewing-machineand a presserfoot thereof, of guidesfor stiffening-'filaments, pressersfor folding a fabric about the saidfilaments, stationary guides, asblocks D D, located at opposite sides of the presserfoot and supportedupon the bed-plate of the" machine, and feed devices for carrying-thestiffening beneath the presser-foot, substan tially as described.

9.,An apparatus for making stiffening of the character set forth,corfsistingof a metal block A, having a guiding-channel forfthe fabric,saidchannel having its walls parallel throughout the greater portion ofitslength, 1

buthaving convergent'walls at the receiving end; a block, as B, fittingsaid channel at its I receiving'end and provided witliconverging walls,snidbloek having guides formed thereour invention We aflix oursignatures in presin for the passage of the stiifening material, ence oftwo witnesses. springs for holding said block 13 upon the MARSHALLGARDNER. fabric, and pressers A A arranged in the JAMES STONE.

5 guiding-channel for the fabric, substantially Witnesses: as described.

0. CLARENCE POOLE,

In testimony that We claim the foregoing as Oi N. 'WILLIS.

